The Jingle Bus Rocks!

Sometimes it seems like the spirit of Christmas and the overall holiday season exists only in sappy old movies. You know what I'm talking about: Miracle on 34th Street, that entertainingly creepy clay-mation Rudolph movie, and my favorite, It's a Wonderful Life. For most of the year, we poke fun at how cheesy they are, but as soon as December rolls around, we're all bound to watch them at some point.

Did you know you can also get your warm Christmas fuzzies on without camping out on the couch in front of the TV? All you need to do is hop on the Jingle Bus, one of downtown Salt Lake's newest holiday additions.

In its second year, the Jingle Bus is commandeered by Jerry, a man who literally—well, not quite literally—exudes Christmas cheer. Jerry chauffeurs riders around downtown on a route that showcases holiday decorations and storefronts. With the help of volunteer hosts, he'll sometimes even lead riders in boisterous holiday songs.

And last Sunday, those volunteer hosts were our very own Nan and Kristen of Local First Utah! Apart from leading riders in Christmas carols, Nan and Kristen also educated riders about all the local shops downtown.

The abundance of local shops combined with fun holiday features like the Jingle Bus create the vibrant urban tapestry that we all love so much. And what better way to explore that tapestry than on a decked out hop-on-hop-off bus full of history, singing and everything else that makes the holidays great? Oh, and did we mention it's free? You can thank the Downtown Alliance for that one.

The bus is still touring everyday until December 28th from 5-10 p.m., so make sure and check out all the local businesses on its route!